


To Love A Dragon

by BumbleBee_John



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Eren is literally a hunter, F/F, I'm really excited about this, M/M, Magic, Multi, Slow Romance, animal deaths in the first and future chapters, blacksmith!Mikasa, dragon hunter!Levi, mature!Eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 14:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1713890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BumbleBee_John/pseuds/BumbleBee_John
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With his mother gone and his father missing, Eren struggles in maintaining his father's farm. Now with a dragon prowling in the forest, dragon hunters from the Kingdom have come to rid the village of the pest. Housing the hunters should have just left a heavy weight in his usually empty pockets, but it's also leaving a weird feeling in his chest, especially from one man in general.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) in any way. The only thing I own is my imagination and bad writing. Enjoy!

This was the first time Hannes was hunting out in the woods without the Jaeger brat trailing behind, murmuring tips and pointing out his mistakes when trying to follow a trail. With his mom gone and his dad missing, the brat had his hands tied with the farm and was going to hunt later tonight. Hannes decided he wasn’t crazy enough to go in the forest at night, even if Jaeger was the best shot. The brat snorted at Hannes but they parted with promises to hunt together next week. Hannes didn’t have an eye for the subtle hints like the Jaeger brat, because he sure as hell couldn’t track an animal unless they left actual prints in the forest ground. But luckily last night had rained and left the forest floor damp and muddy, showing signs of the passing herd easily for Hannes.

He had been following this herd for about an hour now, with his bow and arrow ready. He had kept pace with them easily earlier, but something frightened them a half hour back and Hannes had to run to keep them in sight. If the Jaeger brat was with him now, he’d have already let an arrow go when he saw the herd first starting to run. No one could beat Eren’s amazing aim. Hannes grumbled and shook the thought away. Eren wasn’t here, so that meant he would try his best to at least get one deer to bring home. (If not, then him and everyone else living in the house would starve, and that was definitely something he’d rather not think about right now.)

Had Hannes been paying any attention to his surroundings instead of his full attention on the herd though, he’d have seen a dark shadow pass above him. Instead, he crept along the forest floor as quietly as possible, making sure to walk over dry leaves and pesky twigs. Eren’s voice followed him, reminding Hannes to make sure, quiet steps, and go slow, and make sure to stop every time a deer’s ear twitches. Hannes followed every tip he could remember and took his position, drawing his arrow and pulling it back, aiming it toward the herd. He picked a young buck, grazing near the riverbank that flowed between Hannes and the animals. Hannes could feel the strain against his shoulders but he kept his position, taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. The buck Hannes was targeting shook it’s head and continued eating, unaware of the danger it was in. Before Hannes could even think of releasing his arrow, a roar rang across the land, loud and powerful enough to shake the very earth.

Hannes cried out in surprise and looked in the air, watching in horror as a large red shape came crashing into the ground, crushing a few unlucky deer that didn’t run in the forest in time. In paralyzed fear, Hannes watched the giant creature grab on to a deer with it’s large, sharp teeth and lift the dead animal into the air, throwing it up as if it was a play thing. The creature opened its maw, catching the deer and swallowing it whole.

Hannes couldn’t believe his eyes, and could only hear the deep breathes of the creature and his own dangerously fast beating heart. His body was shivering uncontrollably, but he couldn’t feel anything but fear. Tears were trailing down his face, but they went unnoticed. His eyes were stuck on the creature as it tore through another deer, pulling it apart and chewing on it slowly, bones and all. The creature licked its outrageously large teeth once it was finished, then turning its head toward the last one, swallowing it whole as well. The creature stretched its body out, giving Hannes the chance to see every inch of the creature fully. Overlapping, gleaming dark red scales covered the creatures body from head to spiked tail, with it’s underbelly bare and colored a light red. It stood on four limbs, each with four claws digging into the dirt as it stretched. On the spiked back of the creature rest two large, bat like wings. A dragon.

Hannes screamed when it finally dawned on him what this creature was. A creature of death and fire. A winged lizard that rose from hell itself.

The dragon turned its head at the scream, growling a warning and zeroing in on the person who made the noise. Seeing Hannes cowering behind the bushes on the other side of the river, the dragon gave another growl before spreading its wings and pushing off the ground, gaining momentum and launching into the sky. In less than thirty seconds the dragon was already out of sight, flying towards the mountains beyond the forest.

Hannes stayed behind the bushes, shivering and crying, going over and over in his head how he survived an encounter with a dragon. With shaking limbs, he stood up and slowly made his way back to the village, the knowledge that he wasn’t dragging a deer behind him was far from his mind. 

* * *

“I swear to God, I saw a dragon!! I didn’t make this shit up!” Hannes yelled. The people scattered around the room simply laughed and continued drinking, watching the hysterical man try to get people to believe him.

A man in the back of the pub yelled out, “If that’s true, than why haven’t we’ve seen it? Eh?!”

Others cheered in agreement.

“Well if any of you fuckers were out there with me-“

A young, blonde man grabbed Hannes’s arm, stopping his statement and pulling him into a corner of the pub. Hannes tried to pull his arm away, but with everything that’s happened today, he felt weak and tired. He let himself be lead to the corner and sat on a stool.

“Armin, look, I know what I saw. It was a dragon, I swear.” Hannes tried to explain, but he was tired so he simply rests his head on the table.

Armin patted Hannes’s shoulder, calling over the bartender and ordering a couple drinks. He turned towards Hannes, “I’m not saying I disbelieve you, but you have to admit, dragons? Out here? There hasn’t been a sighting in over a hundred years. That kind of stuff happens in the north, not the south.”

“Look, I don’t know anything about that, but what I saw was a giant, red winged lizard. It didn’t blow fire, thank God, but it might as well have. Tore and swallowed the deer like it was nothing.” Hannes swallowed the drink in one go, slamming the cup down in demand for another.

Armin stared at the poor man. He didn’t know what to say, or really what to do, so he simply rubbed his shoulder and refilled his glass. They were quiet, staring into their glass. Armin trying to find what to say, and Hannes trying to make any sense in what he saw today. _Screw everyone else,_ Hannes thought, _I know what I damn well saw._

They stayed that way for a while, letting the loud noise of the pub rest around them. Armin let Hannes simmer in his own thoughts until he remembered something. He turned back to the man.

“Hannes, does that mean you didn’t bring anything back to the house?”

Hannes groaned, smacking his head against the dirty wood. “God damn it.”

Armin gave him a pitying look. He knew that while the family living under Hanne’s roof wasn’t really his responsibility besides providing a roof over their heads, he still tried to feed them as much as he could. Usually he’d have Eren helping, but since the problem with the farm came up, he’d been too busy to help out. And while the village was friendly with each other, they had to feed themselves as well.

“He might not have much, but maybe Eren has a few rabbits left from his last hunt? It wouldn’t hurt to at least ask, right?” Armin suggested hopefully.

Hannes grunted. “That brat has enough to worry about. Don’t need him worrying about feeding all these strangers either.”

Armin snorted. “Eren won’t mind throwing a few rabbits at you. And anyways, maybe he’ll get lucky on his hunt tonight. Or well, really his traps technically. Also, the two families aren’t strangers. You can’t really be strangers in this little village anyways.”

“Wow, just shut up kid.” Hannes groaned, stumbling off the stool. “Fine, I’ll go and see if the brat can spare a few rabbits. The ride will be horrible, he lives so damn far.”

“Oh! Hannes!” Armin called out, “Ask if Eren or Mikasa have seen the dragon. You said it flew to the mountains right? Maybe it passed over them?”

Hannes waved his hand to signal he heard as he made his way out of the pub. He ignored the snickering from the other pub attendants and brushed passed the people trying to throw jokes at him. _Let them joke. I’ll be the one laughing when they shit themselves seeing the dragon._

* * *

Unknown to Hannes, Armin, or the villagers, the dragon didn’t fly to the mountains. Instead, it landed in a clearing, where it was not too far from a farm where a young hunter and a young woman reside. It looked around itself, checking for humans or any creatures, and seeing no one, let out an ear piercing roar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first fanfic in this fandom, and I'm really excited! Hopefully the characters aren't too ooc to enjoy (especially with Eren being more mature than you see in the anime.) I love dragon stories, so my first fanfic had to be about dragons of course. Also, a different writing style than what I'm used to. I don't have a beta so if there are any mistakes, please let me know! Thank's for reading!


	2. Memories of a Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at Eren's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't expect this many people liking my story!! Thank you all so much for your kudos, comments, and bookmarks! I hope this chapter is as well received as the prologue. 
> 
> Again, I don't own SNK in any way, and this story has no beta. All mistakes are mine, and please, feel free to tell me of any that you find. Enjoy!

_“Pa…pa it hurts.”_

_“I know Eren. I…I’m so sorry Eren. So sorry.”_

_“Pa. Pa! It burns!”_

_“I’m sorry Eren...Where does it burn?”_

_“My..my..my b-back. Pa, my back hurts!!”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

* * *

Eren doesn’t really remember life before his father coming home from the war, stinking of bad ale, death, and a foreign scent that just simply never went away after so many times of washing. He was only four when his father made it home, limping and slowly shuffling up the porch steps, and already smelling of cheap booze. Only four when his father reached down with drunken hands and grabbed ahold of his hair to bring him closer to his father. He easily went with the hand and let himself be held, wrapping his own short arms around his fathers neck and letting himself get acquainted with his father’s scent, regardless of the foul stench. His father was home, and everything was going to be okay.

Of course, life isn’t always that simple.

Grisha came back home from the war with a bad limp and magic. He whispered words into the earth that made the soil rich and healthy. He brushed hands against seeds that sprouted within days of finding home in the dirt. He wrote foreign words on the basement walls and chanted until the room became cool, almost close to freezing, and stayed that way, not even warming up when summer rolled by. They stored food down there, and were able to keep a full deer carcass in there without it going bad.

Eren was in awe of everything his father could do, and he happily trailed his father around that first week back. Though half the time he was drunk beyond belief, Grisha tolerated his son following him. Sometimes he’d look back to his son, wink, wave his hand, and a dozen flowers bloomed. Sometimes, when the fire wasn’t warm enough for the cold winter nights, he’d wave his hand and the fire would burn for days and heat up the house.

But not everything was perfect. Sometimes, Grisha would get a look in his eyes and he’d head out to the village pub, staying there all-day and returning late at night. Sometimes, he’d go silent and head into the basement and stay there for hours. The first time he did that, Eren freaked out and banged on the door for his father to come out. He cried and hit the door repeatedly until his mom grabbed him and pulled him away. He stayed up all night that first time, making sure he was there to see his father open the basement door and walk out, worst for wear, but still alive and not frozen.

Eren would ask sometimes, about the war and about the basement. Grisha never replied, and he never showed him what he did in the basement unless it was to store food. Sometimes Eren would try to follow his father into the village, but his mom would yell after him before he got too far. He made it half way once, but stopped when he felt too guilty. Sometimes he’d sneak into the basement to see what his father did, but left after it got too cold for him to handle.

When Eren was nine years old, Grisha brought home a bow made of yew and a quiver full of arrows. He set up a target and had Eren train from early morning to sun down. When chores were done and the farm taken care of, Grisha forced the bow in Eren’s hand and had him train. He’d move the target further, and use his magic to get the target to move. Eren complained a lot, especially when his hands hurt and his limbs ached working the earth, but Grisha still had him out training.

That was the first time Grisha yelled at him.

Drunk out of his mind, he tried forcing the bow in his son’s hand, but Eren finally snapped and threw the bow to the ground. He yelled at his dad, crying that he was tired, that the farm work and the chores made him sore. His father was gone too much to be of any help at the farm, leaving Eren and his mom to till or plow the earth and plant the seeds and pick the plants. Magic only went so far, and Grisha’s hands weren’t there to help them either.

Enraged, Grisha grabbed his son’s hair and pulled; pulled hard enough that tears came to Eren’s eyes. He yelled in a drunken slur, spitting and hissing until Eren could only whimper and plead to be let go. But Grisha’s words, though slurred and choppy, stayed with his son for many years.

_“A man ain’t nothing without his weapon, and his sword is shit when you’re by yourself and hungry. Bait isn’t going to run into your knife. You’re gonna learn to hunt because one day you’ll be starving and all you’ll have is this bow.”_

So through tears and snot, Eren picked up the bow and drew an arrow, letting it go and hitting his target. Eren practiced everyday, never arguing with his father, even when his hands burned and his sore muscles cried out. When Grisha was happy with his son’s aim, he took him to the forest and taught him to hunt.

* * *

In the middle of winter, when Eren was ten years old, his mother sat him down by the fire and pulled out her sewing supplies. “If your father is teaching you how to hunt, then I’m going to teach you how to sew.”

Eren whined, “Ma, sewing is for girls!”

Carla instantly hit her son over the head, glaring until he grumbled and picked up the needle and thread. She nods her head and starts her lesson. “I’m sure your father will tell you that all you need is that bow of yours, but I assure you, you’ll need more than that. What if you cut yourself so deeply, wrapping it wont help? What if you tear your clothes in the forest and it’s getting cold? What if you have kids and you need to keep them warm?”

Eren listened intently to his mother, watching just as closely as she told him how to hold the needle and how to sew two pieces of cloth together. They practiced on scraps of materials, then practicing on Eren’s old baby clothes. The rest of the winter was spent this way, sitting in front of the fire sewing and talking. Eren’s mother told him about her childhood, telling him about the city she grew up in and the family she left when her and Grisha moved to this house.

Eren was surprised to find out that his mom grew up in the big city in the center of the Kingdom. He always assumed she was born and raised in this village like he was.

Carla laughed. “No, I was born in the city. My father was a popular baker, and he met my mother who was working in her fathers shoe shop across the way. I was born in the rooms above the bakery and grew up there.”

“Then how did you meet dad?!” Eren asked excitedly.

“Oh, your father came to the city to become a healer. He was born in this village, in this house in fact. Your father’s great-great grandfather built this house, if you can believe that. Anyways, your father apprenticed under the current healer at the time, but when he learned all he could, he decided to expand his training and came to the city. He apprenticed under a healer for two years before we met, when he came into the shop one summer morning.” Carla giggled at the memory.

“You’re father was so sunburned! Red as a tomato! We don’t usually sell beverages but I pitied him and got him some cool water. You’re father will lie, but it was love at first sight. We got married seven months later.”

Eren smiled. His mother usually wasn’t happy during the winter season, but since he started taking sewing lessons with her, she had been starting to smile more. At the time though, Eren didn’t realize how strained the relationship between his parents were.

“Wait, if you guys got married in the city, why are we here?” Eren questioned as he finished the last stitch in the shirt he was fixing.

His mother took a few minutes to answer when she was looking over Eren’s work. “Well, it would have normally gone to his older brother, but he died. His younger brother is estranged from the family, so the house naturally fell to your father. We moved out here when the war began. We wanted you far from the fighting as possible, and what better than far in the south?”

Eren thought over this, pulling out another shirt from the pile to fix up. He spread the shirt over his lap before finding the hole. “Well now that the war is over, can we visit the city sometime? I’ll be the first kid to ever go and it’ll be so cool! I’ll be the coolest kid in the whole village!”

Eren didn’t notice his mother looking at him with a frown on her face. He didn’t notice the tears coming to her eyes.

“Of course Eren, maybe we’ll go sometime.”

* * *

 Grisha taught Eren how to dress his first rabbit when he was eleven years old. He also taught him how to make traps, and how to ride a horse. Dimo Reeves owed Grisha his life, so when Grisha came to collect, he gave him a young mare named Maria. Eren fell in love with Maria the moment he saw her. She was a brown draft horse with a white stripe and three white stockings. She was already trained in riding, but Grisha had to teach her how to help plow and to pull wagons. She was a fast learner, and once Grisha was done, Eren took over her care.

When there was any kind of free time between his busy schedule, Eren would throw on a saddle and harness, and ride through the forest. Maria was a loyal horse, and she stayed close to Eren whenever he got off her back and walked through the denser parts without holding the reins. Wherever Eren went, Maria wasn’t far behind. Carla joked that Maria was more like a dog than a horse.

Maria was a great help though when Eren finally shot his first deer. The body was too heavy to drag, so he hooked up the small, simple wagon to Maria and had her carry the deer back to the house, where Grisha dressed and stored the carcass in the basement. Since then, Grisha gave all hunting duties to Eren, on top of everything he had to do on the farm. That was the first time his parents started fighting in front of him.

Since then, Grisha mostly stayed in the village pub or basement.

With his father either gone or absent, Eren spent most of his time either hunting or working on the farm. His sewing lessons ended the moment the snow melted, and both Eren and his mother instantly went to work. Sometimes, his mother would even join him in the forest, but with all the noise she made he kindly sent her home. Not all hunting trips were successful, and not all his traps actually trapped anything, but with all the time practicing, he learned how to follow the subtle hints and taught himself patience.

Carla said he was growing up too fast, but Grisha never replied to her comments and Eren was too proud to realize it was wrong.

* * *

Grisha taught Eren many things, but what he didn’t teach him was how to deal with wolves. He had run across them a few times on his hunts, either because they were hunting the same deer, or they caught sight of him and decided to hunt him instead. He’s gotten a lot of training in running and shooting an arrow that way. Most of the times his arrows would barely graze them or land in a spot that doesn’t affect them much. But he learned and soon wolves became a simple hindrance.

Not everyone was so lucky.

It was the beginning of winter, in the late hours of the day where the sun began it’s descent. Snow already covered the ground but it was thin and easy to walk through. Eren rode comfortably on Maria’s back as they leisurely made their way through the forest. Eren wasn’t hunting today, but he had his bow ready in case of predators. Eren didn’t expect his traps to be successful today, but he checks anyways, and it gives him a chance to get away from his parents who are arguing again.

It’s when he’s checking his third trap does he hear something. It’s low, sounding far away, but Maria hears it and gets antsy. Eren contemplates whether or not to check it out when he hears it again, this time louder. It was a scream.

Eren jumped onto Maria quickly and urged her forward toward the sound, kicking hard to get her to run faster. As they run towards the sound, it gets progressively louder.

A few minutes later and they break through the dense forest, coming up on the trail leading from his home to the village. A few meters away from them they see an over turned wagon, with wolves growling and attacking it. The screams have stopped, but Eren doesn’t lose hope. He draws an arrow and fires, hitting one wolf on its shoulder. It cries out and Eren fires another one, hitting another on its left flank. The pack growl and inch towards him, but Eren kicks Maria and they run forward, running into a few wolves. As he fires another shot, he looks over to the wagon, hoping to see someone. All he saw was red.

“Anyone there?! Come on!!” Eren hopes the yelling would get an answer, but no one replied. He smacked at a wolf with the bow before Maria reared up in defense. She kicked with her back legs and hit an unlucky wolf. They weren’t deterred though, and they prepared for another attack. Just as Eren was about to give up and make a run for it, a black haired girl came out from under the wagon, blood all over her hands and face, but looking otherwise okay. She was crying though, and inching her way back under the wagon. Eren quickly turned Maria around and trotted to her, reaching his hand out.

“Quick, grab my hand!” Eren yelled, pulling her up and sitting her behind him. Blood got on his hands and shirt where she grabbed at him.

“Is there anyone else?!” The girl didn’t say anything, but he felt her head shake where it rested against his back.

Eren kicked Maria again and they took off, running up the trail towards his home. The wolves trailed after them, howling and growling, and biting at Maria’s legs. Eren drew another arrow (he briefly noticed that he only had five now) and shot a wolf in the eye, watching in satisfaction as it fell and didn’t get back up. Eren shot another one, this one in the right shoulder, and it trailed behind whimpering. One more wolf hit finally gets the wolves to let off and the two kids ride off to the farm at a calmer pace. When Eren sees the farm up ahead, he gets Maria running hard again.

His mother is walking through the fields, checking the vegetables for frost when she sees the two riding up to the front gate of the farm. She gasps and yells out for her husband when she sees the bloody girl grasping tightly to her son.

Eren leads Maria to the front of the house where Carla waited and slowly reached up to take the girl off her son. Grisha came out of the house, luckily still sober, and led the two women into the house. He turns to Eren.

“Put Maria away, take care of her wounds. Do you know if there was anyone else hurt?”

Eren shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone, and the girl said there wasn’t anyone else but…there was so much blood. I don’t think it all came from her.”

His father nods his head. He looks in the house then looks back at his son, a frown on his face. “Then we’ll have to assume the people she was with are dead. Do what I told you, then come back here.”

Grisha went back into the house and Eren led Maria into the small stable. He rubbed her down, warmed up a bucket of water, and washed her wounds. She didn’t have anything life threatening, just small scratches from missed teeth and claws. Even still, he apologized to her as he cleaned her, making sure to take extra time when he brushed her down and brushed out her mane and tail. He rubbed her face and neck, checking her over one more time before setting out hay and giving her more water.

When he made it back to the house, Grisha was gone, his mom was in the kitchen, and the girl he saved was sitting in front of the fire. She was cleaned up, not an inch of blood on her, with a few bandages around her arms and hands. She was put in one of his shirts and pants, with her feet left bare. Her black hair was pushed back and braided. She looked up when he entered the room. He smiled at her, and she smiled back tiredly.

She reached out her hand, “Thank you for saving me…”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. My name’s Eren.”

“Mikasa.”

* * *

 When Grisha came back from the basement, the Jaeger family sat down around the young girl and asked her a few questions. Her name was Mikasa Ackerman, who was born and raised in a small village in the west. She and her parents decided to move to the south for reasons unknown to her. Her father was a knight that fought in the previous war, and raised her teaching her how to fight with a sword. She explained to them that the wolf pack came out of nowhere and attacked the horse pulling the wagon.

Because of the chaos, the wagon fell and the horse ran away. Before her father can grab his sword, a wolf came from behind and tore at him. They were over powered, and her mom made her hide under the wagon. The wolves were about to get her as well, but she explained that Eren came just in time. Carla hugged the two kids tightly, her son especially because of his dumb bravery.

Eren’s mother sent the two to bed after that. Eren in his own room, and Mikasa in an empty room that used to be Grisha’s younger brothers. When his parents finally turned in for the night, Eren sneaked out of his room and into Mikasa’s. She was still awake when he came in, and there were tears streaming down her face. Eren paused. He was coming into her room to ask if she can teach him how to sword fight too, but seeing her crying he realized how insensitive he was. She had just lost her parents.

Eren quickly came over and hugged her, and she cried into his shoulder. He held her close as she sobbed, and he rubbed her back, doing what his mother does when he has nightmares. She relaxes in his hold and they fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Over the next few days Grisha and Eren go back to the wagon and discover two torn bodies. Eren spends time hunched over and sick, while Grisha collects things from the wagon that survived and puts them in the wagon strapped to Maria. He locates the sword Mikasa described to be her father’s and throws it in the wagon. When Eren finally starts to feel a little better, he goes and helps his dad. They finish quickly and head back to the house, where they drop off everything in Mikasa’s room. Eren offers to help her set up the room, but she shakes her head and locks herself in the room. Eren wants to follow after her, but his mother calls him away.

“Let her grieve Eren. She just lost her parents in a brutal way. She’ll need some time.”

That time was spent in awkward silence and stilted conversation for four months. Mikasa locked herself in her room half the time, and the other half she spent sitting quietly on the porch while sharpening her father’s sword. She offered to help in the fields, when winter thawed and spring came, but Grisha turned her offer down. But while she was silent and spent most of her time hiding in her room, at night she let Eren crawl in her bed and they held each other.

When Carla caught Eren walking out of Mikasa’s room one morning, she pulled him aside and demanded they stop. It wasn’t proper to sleep in the same bed as an unmarried woman, no matter how young they were. Eren argued that she was like a sister, but Carla was adamant that they stay out of each other’s room. They grudgingly did, but sometimes Carla would catch them sitting closer then is proper, or they would hold hands when Mikasa came out to sit on the porch.

Four months were spent this way, but on the second day of the fifth month, Mikasa came out of her room for breakfast and greeted everyone with a ‘Good Morning.’

She wasn’t the most talkative person ever, but she didn’t hide in her room any more and she participated in family conversations in the times where everyone found time to simply sit around. She joined Eren during his chores and helped around the farm, but stayed behind when he went on his hunts. She rode with Eren sometimes, but because of Carla’s insistence, they didn’t ride together often. The Jaeger family accepted Mikasa into their life easily, giving her a place to call home, and people to call family.

Carla calmed down about how close her kids are over the years, but she still watched them closely sometimes.

Thirteen-year-old Mikasa brought home two fluffy puppies and asked if she could keep them one summer morning. She didn’t exactly explain where she found them, but when they grew up, the family noticed that they looked liked wolves, besides their curly tails. They had thick, grey, black, and white fur, and took to hunting well. Eren named one of the dog’s Sina, while Mikasa named the other one Rose. They too integrated easily into the family, watching closely when Mikasa trained with her sword, and went with Eren every time he went out hunting.

When Mikasa was fourteen years old, she marched into the blacksmith’s workshop, slammed her fist on the counter, and demanded he let her be his apprentice. She bet him that if she won a sword fight against him, he must take her. He agreed, jokingly, but when she wiped the floor with him, he grudgingly made her his apprentice.

When she was fifteen years old, Mikasa came down with a life threatening illness. She was quarantined in her room, with only Grisha allowed in and out. Eren sat outside her bedroom door throughout the sickness, listening to her cries of pain. In the beginning she complained of being hot, but by the end of the sickness, she was crying because she was too cold, no matter how many blankets Carla sent in there. Eren stitched up a red scarf for her, to give to her when she felt better, but it was oddly shaped and a little scratchy. But when she finally came out on unstable legs, and he wrapped the badly made scarf around her neck, she buried her face in the itchy fabric and laughed. She hugged him tightly, and she never took the scarf off.

The two were close, and they made friends with the Tanners grandson, Armin. The three became somewhat infamous in the village, with their crazy shenanigans and their wild adventures in the forest and around the village. Eren and Mikasa would sneak Armin in their father’s room, where they sat around and read his medical and magical journals. Armin would later try some of the little spells in the forest, and Mikasa and Eren would stare in awe. Life was good, even when they could hear Carla and Grisha yelling at each other, or Armin’s grandfathers cough started to get worse.

Eren was sixteen when Grisha walked out of the house and never returned, where as his mother was found eaten by wolves when she ran out of the house to follow him.

It was on Eren’s eighteenth birthday when Hannes first saw the dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the story will finally start rolling by the next chapter! (Sorry it's taking forever.)  
> Next Chapter: Dragons, magic, and our favorite Corporal.


	3. Welcome to the Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic, nightmares, and the introduction of some characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who kudos, commented, and bookmarked! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
> 
> I don't own SNK, but this fanfic and all the mistakes are mine. I don't have a beta, so any mistake you see please tell me and I'll fix it. Enjoy~

_A calloused hand dipped in a bowl filled with thick, bubbling, yellow liquid. The man twirled the substance around, whispering to it until it started to heat up, turning it into a dark orange substance. The man continued to swirl the substance around until it finally became a deep, dark red. A young boy hid behind a counter, watching in fear as the man whispered a few more words and the bowl in his hands began to steam. Sparks of flashing light erupted from the bowl, causing the young boy to cower further behind his hiding spot. The room became unbearably hot, and the sparks became stronger and brighter, briefly reminding the boy of lightening._

_“Come here Eren, I know you’re back there.” The man called out._

_To Eren, the man’s voice was rough and low-pitched, almost unrecognizable to him. He shook his head. “I’m sorry for sneaking in Pa!”_

_Eren didn’t want to go over to his father at all. Whatever he was doing wasn’t like anything he’d seen before. This was scary compared to the blooming flowers or the never burning out fire his father had done. Magic was never_ scary _to Eren until now._

_Grisha sighed, standing up instead and grabbing his son hiding behind the counter. Eren tried to pull away but his father’s grasp was iron clad. Grisha forced Eren to sit in front of him, pushing back his hair. Eren looked up at his father with scared eyes and heard him hum to himself. His body shook, but he forced the scared tears away. The room was getting hotter, and Eren was starting to sweat._

_“I won’t come back in here ever again! I promise!!” Eren cried, grabbing onto his father’s shirt. He didn’t know what his father was about to do with him, and he was scared beyond belief._

_Grisha paused in his humming and looked down at his son with sad eyes. “You say that every time we do this son.”_

_Eren was confused. Scared, but now confused. This was the first time he ever snuck down here. But before he can voice his confusion, Grisha kneeled down in front of him._

_“Well, no matter,” Grisha said, “Eren, I need you to take your shirt off for me. You can keep your pants on this time.”_

_“W-what?!” Eren yelled._

_Grisha frowned deeply, “Don’t argue with me. Do as I say!”_

_Scared, Eren shakily raised his hands and proceeded to untie the knot on his shirt before taking it off. As he was doing that, Grisha grabbed the bowl he was working on, now cooled down, and brought it over. He sat in front of his son again, watching until his son folded his shirt and set it aside. He noticed his son’s shaking limbs and sweaty palms. He ignored it._

_Instead, he dipped his hands in the bowl again, and with fingers covered in a warm, thick red substance, began to draw ancient symbols on his sons skin. He started on his son’s forehead, drawing the signs of the sun, stars, fire, and air. He went down his son’s body, over his cheeks, lips, neck, and down to his shoulders. He picked up each arm separately, drawing the sign of scales, strength, and drawing the symbol for claws and steel on his hands. When he went to his back, he covered it in words, but mostly symbols for wings, air, fire, and soul. On his stomach, he put his full palm on the flat of it, leaving a large red handprint. When he was done, Grisha sat back and looked at his work. Every inch of Eren’s exposed skin was covered in red writing, from the tips of his fingers to the top of his ears._

_Eren had calmed down since his father began, relaxing under the warmth of the thick liquid. He was curious though, because the symbols on his skin were completely foreign. His father tried to teach him how to read once, but he wasn’t very good and he didn’t care to learn since. But these words didn’t look like the ones his father tried to teach him. He was about to ask his father what they all meant, but before he could ask, Grisha stood up and raised his red hand above Eren’s head._

_He began to whisper the same way he whispered to the earth to help the soil, and Eren felt the words on his body become hot. It was a low burn at first, like the heat from a close fire, but as Grisha spoke longer and the liquid started to warm up, the heat soon became unbearable. Eren screamed as his skin burned, as if the blacksmith’s burning metal was drenched over his body. But the most heat came from his back, and Eren clawed at it, trying to take the liquid off._

_“Pa…pa it hurts!”_

_“I know Eren. I…I’m sorry Eren. So sorry.”_

_“Pa. Pa! It burns!”_

_“I’m sorry Eren…where does it burn most?”_

_“My…my…my b-back. Pa, my back hurts!!”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

* * *

“Eren!”

Eren snapped awake, sitting up so fast he knocked heads with his adoptive sister who was leaning over him. They both grabbed their heads and groaned in pain.

Mikasa looked over the sweaty form of her brother as she rubbed her aching head. He was having nightmares again, especially now that fall was turning to winter. His dreams usually came in the middle of winter, but they were early this year. Mikasa stayed silent though, letting Eren calm down from the dream and letting him try to remember it on his own. He never talked much about them, but not because he didn’t want to. He never talked about them because he could never remember them after he woke up. He’d remember vague things, like the basement or a quick glimpse of his father, but nothing ever solid. But one thing that came from these dreams was heat. 

While in the throes of sleep, as he tossed and turned and screamed, his body would become agonizingly hot, almost literally burning to the touch.

Eren sighed and rubbed his face. “Sorry Mikasa…”

Mikasa didn’t say anything, instead simply moving closer and drawing Eren into her embrace. He rests his head against her chest and listened to her steady heartbeat. They stay like that for a while, watching through the window as the sun slowly rises, and hearing the pitter-patter of claws against wood flooring when the dogs wake up for the new day. When Mikasa notices that Eren fell back to sleep, she tucks him back into the bed and draws the curtains to block out the rising sun. As quietly as she can, she leaves the room and lets Sina and Rose out. She goes about the morning chores and leaves Eren alone, knowing he won’t wake up until midday at least.

* * *

Riding horse back for hours wasn’t a way Levi liked to spend his time. Add the fact that it was snowing and freezing, Levi wasn’t in the best of moods. Hanji was trailing behind him, going on and on about some subject he didn’t care about, and Erwin a little ways ahead of them. The two men were silent as Hanji droned on and on, barely even stopping for a breath. They had been riding for close to three months now, and the weather had gone from cool to below freezing the deeper south they traveled. 

Levi had complained the first week of riding, but come the second month, he was as silent as Erwin.

Concerning Erwin, Levi was more than confused. The man hadn’t been on a mission since his promotion, especially for one as mundane as a dragon siting. Levi admitted that a dragon siting in the south was strange, but not weird enough to warrant Erwin to leave the warmth and safety of the castle walls. It was strange, and therefore Levi was suspicious. He had brought it up a couple times when they all sat around the fire, but Erwin was either silent or used a lame excuse.

Levi didn’t buy it, and from the small frown sometimes marring Hanji’s face, Levi knew that she was suspicious too.

“Oh! Oh! I think I see something!” Hanji yelled, pulling Levi out of his thoughts.

Far ahead of them they can see the beginning of a small village. A few houses came to view after awhile, but Levi decided they were termites holding hands rather than any actual sturdy homes. The dirt road they were using was muddy and wet, covering the horse’s legs in mud and grime. Levi internally cringed, and looking at the village they were finally reaching, knew he was never going to be clean ever again.

The villagers all stared in awe as they watched the trio come into their trivial little village. They weren’t accustomed to foreigners visiting, especially not military men from the inner Kingdom. Besides Jaeger’s mother, no one has stepped foot in this village besides merchants from the neighboring village. But with these military men comes protection, and with that dragon flying around in their woods, they would kindly welcome anyone daring to destroy the beast.

The villagers welcomed the trio happily, complimenting their looks, clothing, steeds, and weapons. Many hands tried to touch, but one or two glares from the smallest male made them stop. Chatter rose as the villagers talked amongst themselves, and Erwin wasn’t able to get a word in at all. Levi considered simply yelling to grab the mindless villagers’ attention, but didn’t when a round man came running into the crowd. The crowd parted for him, and he came to a stop in front of Erwin. He was a large man, with a baldhead and a stern face. 

“Good Afternoon Gentlemen and…Lady. My name is Dimo Reeves, village head.”

The three introduced themselves, and before Reeves could offer drinks at his home, Erwin asked to see every person who made a report about seeing the dragon. They made their way around the small village slowly, taking the time to sit each witness down and letting them tell their story. Some cried, while others simply took a long time to explain. When they were done with the fourth witness, Reeves took the trio down to a house a little ways from the village. It was a large house, two stories, and in better condition then most of the buildings the soldier’s had seen.

A tired, older woman opened the door when Reeves pounded on it. She frowned when she saw who it was. “I paid the last of my debts Reeves. I don’t owe you or anyone else anymore besides Hannes!”

Reeves sniffed in annoyance. “I didn’t come for you. I came for Hannes. These men are here to take care of the dragon problem, and they need to speak to him.”

Everyone ignored the offended “Hey!” from Hanji.

The woman sighed. “He hasn’t come home yet. You’d best find him up at Jaeger’s farm. Reckon he’ll be there huntin like always.”

She closed the door after that, and Reeves sighed. “Jaeger’s farm is pretty far from here, and I have lots of work to do still. Papers to sign, debts to collect.”

Erwin nodded in understanding, looking as if he felt sympathy for the man. “Of course. Can you just point us in the right direction? I’m sure we’ll be able to find his farm easily.”

Reeves sighed in relief and pointed at the road. “Yes, it’ll be easy to find. Simply follow that trail to the last house at the end. At a walk it’ll be awhile, but a good trot will get you there in no time. When you guys are finished come back to my home and we’ll arrange places for you three to stay.

With those words, Reeves waved and left. The three soldiers relaxed slightly when the man was gone from view. Hanji made a joke about the man but the other two didn’t laugh. Instead, they directed their horses towards the trail and kicked their horses to an easy trot. As they rode up the trail, Hanji complaints following them, the two men discussed the issue of the dragon. The conversation went on until they reached a small cow farm, where a dozen or more cows grazed on the frosted grass. As they made their way to the main house of the farm, they were met by a small little blonde girl who stared at the them in awe.

Erwin smiled politely at the little girl, “Hello young miss, do you mind doing me a favor and getting Master Hannes for me?”

The little girl blushed, “Um, I, I mean, I can go get him for you but, but he’s pretty far…but I can run really fast!”

“Wait, brat,” Levi growled out, bringing the horse closer, “you ain’t a Jaeger? Isn’t this the last bloody house down the trail?”

The little girl flinched, but before she could say anything, her father came out the front door, with an axe in his hand and a frown on his face. “Ellie, go help your brother with the laundry.”

Glad to be away from the short man with the nasty glare, she ran in the house with a “Yes Daddy!” thrown over her shoulder.

“How may I help you gentlemen…and Lady?”

“Is this Jaeger farm or not old man?” Levi demanded, even as Erwin sighed and Hanji snorted into her hand.

The man frowned harder, “The Jaeger boy aint in trouble is he? He’s a good lad, bit of a temper when he was younger, but a good one now.”

Erwin took over this time, stopping Levi from snapping again. “No, we’re actually looking for Master Hannes, but the lady of his home said he’d be found at the Jaeger farm. We merely assumed this was the last house on the trail.”

The man relaxed at Erwin’s words, and laughed easily. “Ah, the miss aint Hanne’s wife! But yes, you’d be right to check the boy’s farm. Finest hunter to ever live I say! Has been helping Hannes feed everyone in his home. Hunts almost everyday he does. If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess that Eren lived in the forest then in his father’s old home. Ah, but the boy hasn’t been down to the village since his father gone and his mother dead.”

“Look old man-“ Levi growled but Erwin easily pushed his horse in front of him.

“Ha, listen to me rambling! My kids hate it, but, anyways, you soldiers are about halfway there already. Just follow the trail like you have been, and it’ll be the only house you come across, I swear it.”

Thanking the man, they kicked their horses into a trot and went back onto the trail. Just as the man said, the house at the end of the trail was the only house they saw. Levi was surprised on how well the house looked, especially compared to the village and the other houses they visited. It was especially better looking then Hanne’s home. It was a large two-story house with a medium sized stable off to the side. All around and behind the house there were large fields. Two of them seemed to be in use, possibly growing cabbage, while everything else was covered in snow. Surrounding the house was dense trees and the forest.  If there wasn’t a trail leading to the house, Levi knew that the house would be impossible to find.

The three soldiers got off their horses and slowly walked up to the house, surprised to find a young black haired girl wearing a battered red scarf standing protectively in front of the door, a sword held tightly and expertly in her hand.

“Did the village head send you here? We agreed on Fall of next year. Get off our property this instance.”

“Look little girl-“

“Bring it shorty-“

Erwin cut them both off before they could get into an argument. “Miss Jaeger please, we aren’t here because of the village head. We came here looking for Master Hannes. Everyone we’ve asked said he’d be here hunting with Master Jaeger. We’ve come here for the dragon, not for whatever else you think we’re here for.”

The young girl narrowed her eyes at the group, dubious and still suspicious. “Hannes is here, but he’s in the woods hunting. When they come back I’ll send Hannes to you. Good day.”

“If you don’t mind, we’d like to stay and wait. We’ve been traveling all day and haven’t rested.” Erwin asked with an edge to his voice, subtly demanding that the young girl listen to him.

The young girl nearly growled. “No, I want you to go now.”

She raised her sword in a threatening manner, but before words could be said, aggressive dog barks sounded from far away. Two dogs burst from the dense trees leading to the forest, followed by the heavy falls of hoof beats. The four looked toward the noise to see two dogs running toward them, and two horses trailing closely behind. The two dogs came up to the soldiers first, growling and circling them before standing beside the young girl.

“Woah, woah, woah! Mikasa, what the hell is going on!” Hannes yelled out from on top his horse, coming to a stop beside Hanji. The other rider came to a stop a safe distance from the soldiers with his bow and arrow ready. Teal-green eyes narrowed apprehensively but not with the same hostility as Mikasa.

Ewrin took control of the situation again, ignoring the growling dogs and the yelling man. Instead, he looked at the bowman, with a deer strapped to the back of the horse and rabbits hanging from the saddle by their feet. The draft horse he was riding snorted and pawed the snowy earth in agitation.

“Am I to presume you are Eren Jaeger?”

The bowman nods his head, eyes curious but still suspicious.

“We are here to speak to Hannes about the dragon he said he’s seen. Whatever you have with the village head is not our concern and it isn’t why we’re here.”

The young bowman thought over Erwin’s words, looking over Hanji and Levi before smiling and putting his arrow away. “Sorry, it’s just not usual to see military on our front door step.”

“Rose! Sina! Enough!” Both dogs instantly stopped their growling at Eren’s command, instead sitting down and relaxing.

Eren got off his horse quickly after that, directing Maria toward the back of the house. She went willingly enough, and Hannes followed his lead, getting off his horse. He looked at the soldiers, eyes briefly going over Hanji. “Wow, I didn’t really expect the military to show up.”

Eren climbed the few steps onto his porch, rubbing the dogs’ head and standing in front of Mikasa. “Mind dressing the rabbits for me? I’m sending three with Hannes, but the buck I’ll dress myself.”

Mikasa looked over the soldiers, eyes narrowing on the shorty, but gave in to Eren’s request. “Fine.”

She followed after Maria quickly after giving Levi one final glare. Eren snorted at his sister’s expression before turning back to the soldiers. Erwin was talking with Hannes and Hanji, but the short dark haired man with the pensive glare stared angrily at Eren. He looked over the soldiers and took note of the state of their clothes, horses, and expressions. They seemed tired to Eren, travel weary really, so he did what any kind person would do and invited them all inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too happy with how I ended this chapter, but I felt bad about not updating sooner. (Maybe I'll change the chapter title too.) Levi and Eren will finally get to talk next time!  
> Next Chapter: Magic, Dragons, and Hunter!Eren.


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